Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a passenger airbag apparatus for a vehicle and, more particularly, to a passenger airbag apparatus for a vehicle that \effectively ensures passenger safety against an oblique collision.
Description of the Related Art
Currently, vehicle manufacturers manufacture and sell vehicles that satisfy a minimal overlap crash test. A minimal overlap crash test by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (MS) is performed with a vehicle speed of about 64 km/h, an angle of about 0 degrees, an offset of about 25%, and a rigid barrier. Such a test will be required later to satisfy a frontal research moving deformable barrier test, which is to be implemented in the future and which further considers passenger safety.
The new frontal research moving deformable barrier test is performed with a vehicle speed of about 90.1 km/h, an angle of about 15 degrees, an offset of about 35%, and Research Moving Deformable Barrier (RMDB), in which the vehicle speed and the bather are more severe in comparison to the minimal overlap crash test, so it is addressed to ensure passenger safety, especially, safety of the passenger in the passenger seat.
In other words, in an oblique collision, the upper body of the passenger in the passenger seat is moved toward the collision point (e.g., the driver's seat) with a substantial amount of movement (e.g., force) toward the front of the vehicle. Accordingly, to effectively protect the passenger in the passenger seat, an airbag cushion should sufficiently absorb shock to the passenger's head and sufficiently support the upper body (e.g., chest) of the passenger upon deployment. However, according to the related art in which an airbag cushion is disposed in a single compartment, it may be difficult to effectively protect both of the head and the upper body of the passenger in the passenger seat during an oblique collision.
When the pressure of an inflated airbag cushion is reduced to be appropriate to protect the passenger's head, a sufficient supporting force for protecting the upper body of the passenger may not be obtained, thus causing potential injury to the passenger's upper body. In contrast, when the pressure of an inflated airbag cushion is increased to be appropriate to protect the passenger's upper body, shock applied to the passenger's head may not be sufficiently absorbed, thus potentially causing a passenger's head to hit against the crush pad after hitting against the airbag cushion and thus possibly resulting in injury.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present invention, and is not intended to mean that the present invention falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.